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Thursday, October 1, 2015

The Quidditch Post has agreed an exclusive deal to cover the Intergalaktik Cup, hosted in Adana, Turkey, on 23-24 Jan. 2016. This agreement starts immediately, with the hosts, METU Unicorns, announcing details of the accommodation, pitches, preregistered teams, and tournament format in this press release.

Perhaps the highlight of the release is the announcement of the tournament format. After the bold European-first trial of the Swiss format at Barcelona Moustaches Time 2 this summer, the hosts have decided to follow suit by trialing another unorthodox approach—Ethan Sturm’s proposed format for the 2016 World Cup (formerly known as Global Games). The event will begin with a series of pools ranked by ability, with the top teams grouped together and the bottom teams grouped similarly. At this point, a bracket can be created based on top seeds getting byes through to the quarterfinals, less highly ranked teams having to go through play-offs to reach the quarterfinals, and the bottom teams in the lower pools being eliminated. Eliminated teams will participate in a lower bracket. The cited advantage of such a system is that, though more complex than a standard pool draw, it allows for better match-ups, more exciting contests between teams, and a better experience for less able teams attending what may be one of their first tournaments. Though ranking teams from across Europe may be a difficult task, the organisers will take into account results from the 2015 European Quidditch Cup and individual national tournaments from across the continent, such as the 2015 Turkish Cup.

Tournament Director Kaan Bolat was excited that the Intergalaktik Cup will be the first tournament in the world to trial this proposed format.

“It will draw attention of all national governing bodies, since it may be used in the upcoming World Cup if we can pull it off,” Bolat said. “I believe it may be a revolutionary step towards a more competitive and interesting quidditch scene.”

Also released today were the first images of the pitch in Adana where the tournament will be held. The organisers made a short video to give potential attendees a taste of the venue. The tournament will feature four pitches of natural grass that are only a 10-15 minute drive away from the accommodations. The hosts have two buses that will not only be used to transport players to and from the pitches but will also be used to collect and shuttle players to and from the airport, meaning all transport within Adana will be covered by the tournament entry fee.

A view of the venue | Photo credit: Kaan Bolat

The hotels are of a very high quality—players will be located in one of two four-star hotels, either theÇetinel Hotel or theAdavana Hotel. All accommodation rates have been secured through tournament packages, which include a player entry. These options are:

Milky Way (64€):

- Player fee

- 2 nights at Çetinel or Adanava Hotel (breakfast included)

- Saturday dinner

- Sunday social

- Transportation for tournament and airport

Andromeda (80€):

- Player fee

- 3 nights at Çetinel or Adanava Hotel (breakfast included)

- Saturday dinner

- Sunday social

- Transportation for tournament and airport

Circinus (40€):

- Player fee

- 1 night at Çetinel or Adanava Hotel (breakfast included)

- Saturday dinner

- Transportation for tournament and airport

Centaurus (30€):

- Player fee

- Saturday dinner

- Sunday social

- Transportation for tournament

People only coming to spectate may get a €10 discount on any of the packages, since they will not be paying the tournament entry fee.

Bolat was thrilled to be able to offer such a high calibre of accommodation at such an affordable rate.

“Regardless of their purpose of visit, we want each of our guests to feel as comfortable as possible,” Bolat said. “Needless to say we will do our best to make them feel fabulous at every step during their stay in Adana!”

The luxury accommodation at the tournament | Photo credit: All by Kaan Bolat

The Saturday and Sunday night socials will take place 20-30 minutes from the hotels, and there will be a bus to and from the socials, which will also be included in the tournament entry fee. The Saturday night social will be a traditional Adana night featuring kebab and the Sunday night social will feature live bands and a DJ.

Preregistration for the tournament recently closed, but regular sign-ups are still open. For more information, check out theIntergalaktik Cup website, or keep following the Quidditch Post for regular updates on the event.